How to create a Content Marketing Strategy

Welcome to yet another edition of this insightful newsletter that we publish weekly, I would want to say thank you to all of you 10k+ subscribers I really appreciate it and if you haven't subscribe yet please go ahead and do so on the button on upper your left side. Not only am I happy about subscribers but also get good quality clients from giving free information on what I love to do makes me smile everyday. To my fellow Africans as we heard into Africa Day Celebration Holiday tomorrow, I would love to say Happy Africa day to ya'll my fellow Africans. Let's dive into our business for today.

Storytelling, especially for brands is an interesting art of using emotion-stirring narrative to tell the cusomers what the brand is all about , why you do what you do, sometimes how you do it, and why yu care to do it. Which is an essential part of content marketing by letting them know the why. How you then tell the story or produce it might build or break the brand in the process especially without a clear contnet strategy.

You can't sell anything if you can't tell anything - Beth Comstock.

Creating content seems pretty cut and dry. You post something and wait for people to share it and follow your brand. Every post you make is part of a larger conversation about your business. If you have a bunch of content and posts that don’t tell your story or fit together in the category of educating your audience on why they should buy or engage you or your business, what are you really saying to people, I'm curious?????♂?

Each of your individual posts should be like individual chapters in your entire brand story.

It is a blessing that we have social media platforms which have made distribution of content and information free, do you understand that some years back people failed to do business because they couldn't access or afford a computer and internet, but you what's your excuse for not putting content out there to increase your sales and build your business and personal brand as an expert and credibility in what you know?

People make so many excuses on why they can't post written words and pictures, audio podcasts, or video content and let me tell you all those are made up excuse your insecurities and fear is keeping you from success. Keep reading because hear I'm going to help you structure your content strategy and ideas on what content is best for you.?

What Is a Content Strategy?

A content strategy is a documented plan that outlines your content marketing goals and helps you identify the stories and experiences that will help you achieve them.

Why Do You Need a Content Strategy??

A content strategy is essential in content marketing and development, without a content strategy, you’re basically taking shots in the dark, creating piecemeal content that isn’t as effective as it should be, and working off of hunches instead of solid data. At the end of your campaign, quarter, and annual cycles, you can’t even evaluate your success because you never had a strategy to begin with. Most people who create content without one usually lose interest in the process due to lack of measurable metrics that will help valuate the effort or ROI.

Your content strategy is worthless without a way to measure your success. The better you measure, the more you can test, tweak, and readjust your approach. Thus, knowing your success metrics for each stage of the customer journey is crucial.

What Makes a Good Content Strategy?

All of your content should fit into an overarching story, we call this a strategy. It keeps your content on track and helps share your?brand values with people.

A good content strategy also gives your posts, updates, and other activity online a way to reach your business goals. Just because you have a content strategy on paper doesn’t mean it will actually help your brand. There are plenty of content marketers who have a content strategy yet struggle to a) bring it to fruition or b) see actual results.?

If you want your content strategy to succeed, make sure it’s…..

Tailored to your goals: The only thing worse than having no content strategy is having one that isn’t aligned to your larger goals. When that happens, your strategy will be ineffective at best and counterproductive at worst. The best strategies use every element of content marketing in service of the larger goal.

Comprehensive: The whole point of content marketing is to create a relationship with people through consistent, quality content. But it takes a lot of moving parts to make good content happen on a regular basis. A good strategy is built to keep your editorial calendar full of fresh, interesting ideas-with the infrastructure in place to bring them to life.

Flexible: Your strategy is a blueprint, but it isn’t set in stone. If something unexpected happens, or you realize things aren’t working the way they should, you should be able to adapt as necessary.

As we mentioned, having no strategy can lead to all-over-the-place content, which can confuse your audience and hurt your brand credibility.

Traditional Marketing talks at people, Content Marketing talks with them - Doug Kessler.

It can also lead to generic content. And you know what that hurts? Search engine optimization. Yup, I mean your bland content might get buried in search results if your strategy and execution is not done considerably.?

Having a strategy makes sure your content:

1. SUPPORTS BRAND VALUES: Each post can help people understand what your brand stands for.
2. PROVIDES VALUE: A strategy cuts down on pointless posts that your audience might ignore.
3. STAYS UNIQUE: Strategic content can help you stand out from your competitors.

But what if like me you’re not a content strategist? Good news: You don’t need to be, and your content strategy doesn’t need to be really formal or official. Your content can be different but still meet the goals and measurable metrics that you set.?

All you need to do is give yourself enough time to figure out what your goals are, how you’ll manage content creation or getting others to create it for you, and what your measures of success will be and which tools and metrics you'll use doing so.

How much do you need to have a content strategy?

Most people pullover on the stage, but here's the good news for you. A great content strategy can also fit any budget. It starts with the big picture (or big goals) and then scales down to fit whatever your budget allows for.

For example, a good idea can be expressed in an article like this one you're reading which costs zero dollars to produce, perfectly designed pictures and electronic flyers, podcast which might need a bit of experience and technical skills, or a video that has high production values or in a quick and easy video which might cost you a few dollars but it will be worth it once you understand the importance and value it brings to your business and personal brand.?

You can even use a strong content strategy to rebrand your business or yourself which might mean you'll need a budget to do it. A content strategy involves a variety of steps – from prep work to content creation to measuring and testing.

Let’s take a look at each of them below:

• Do your research - Explore the interests and concerns of your target audience and customers. Look at your brand values, objectives, core strengths, and current content, and compare them to what your competitors are doing.
• Set some smart goals - As what Brian Tracy say about smart goals, the goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-bound. Nail down your business objective and figure out what metrics you’ll use to measure your content’s success. Do you care more about community growth, engagement, conversions, branding and developing thought leadership etc.?
• Map out a content inventory - Make a spreadsheet of your existing content (everything from blog posts to social media updates to videos). Include variables that relate to your business goals, like content type, tone of voice, topic, etc.
• Look for content gaps - Using your content inventory, check for strengths and weaknesses. Does your content help you reach business goals? Which posts does your audience like more? What isn’t working? Check and see if you can see any trends which I'm sure you'll do.?
• Create your content - Pick themes, set a tone of voice, choose the format(s), and then publish your content. Look for what your audience wants and needs, as well as for special occasions (like holidays) you can create unique content around.
• Test and measure your content - Remember when you chose your starter goals and metrics? Now’s the time to use them. Make sure your content is actually helping you reach your goals.

You may already have part of these content strategy steps done, or maybe you need to start at square one. To help you get organized, create a content strategy “to do” list. I have developed mine and my team at Digital Mate Inc also has one they use time and time again.?

Every strategy is open to alterations along the way,?especially when it helps you grow and differentiate yourself or business from your competitors.?It is also essential for you test your content before you make investments like buying a custom domain name, hiring a video editor or content creators such as Digital Mate Inc.

Remember, the best content strategy is built for your brand, crafted round why you do what you do, your capabilities, and designed to help you tell the best stories possible.

That's all I had to share with you this week, I hope all the information here is helpful to you and you'll use all the information draft your own content strategy amd tell your brand story much better.

If you want to reaout out to Leon Mandigara and his team at Digital Mate Inc for assistance with digital marketing click here